Recent Comments:
Posawatz: Volt range-extended mileage to be "better than any conventional car." But what about hybrids? {Autoblog Green}
Oct 24th 2009 4:58PM Credit where credit is due.
GM deserves credit for going outside the box on this one. I never expected them to match the Prius mpg in charge sustaining mode. That isn't the mission of this car and it would be very hard to do because toyota deserves credit on the Prius as well.
The Prius gets > 50MPG on the highway when the hybrid drivetrain is essentially doing nothing. So it is getting 50 MPG on regular unleaded. This has to be the most efficient gas engine in any car. It beats the new VW diesel on the highway (The forte of Diesels).
REPORT: Mazda working on business case for diesels in America {Autoblog Green}
Oct 24th 2009 2:56PM The real question. How many are willing to pay the $2000-$5000 more than a gas version of the same car?
How many Mazda 3s do they sell? Will they sell 10 000 diesels if offered at say $4000 more than the gas version?
I doubt it.
Tokyo 2009: Should Honda bring the Freed MPV to America? {Autoblog}
Oct 24th 2009 9:40AM Third row seats are pretty bad in big vehicles. I am sure they have a whole new level of pointlessness here.
How about dropping that 1.8L and a 6speed manual in the Honda Fit. That I could handle.
Tokyo 2009: Mazda's Sky G and Sky D engines should come with straws for sipping {Autoblog}
Oct 23rd 2009 7:30PM Awesome give me the gas version with 6 speed manual in the Mazda 3 hatch (and make it stop grinning like an idiot) and we have sale.
Honda CEO: People will embrace fuel cells when they realize battery limits {Autoblog Green}
Oct 23rd 2009 12:36PM Again. My link shows an actual, in use power plant at 57%. Not some future plant.
Again. Where is the H2 steam reformation plant running at 75%?
You are using the best theoretical numbers on your H2 calculations, while sticking with old average numbers for EV. You do this at ever step of the calculations.
You do exactly the same thing on the car costing side. You are using todays prices for batteries and assume they will never change. Then you use ridiculous future assumption for H2 vehicles cost about $3000 more than a regular gas powered car.
Again. This is a farce, but you know that.
Honda CEO: People will embrace fuel cells when they realize battery limits {Autoblog Green}
Oct 22nd 2009 11:26PM Quote Sandy: "1. Efficiency: actually a natural gas combined cycle plant is the most efficient means of making electricity at something like 48% efficiency."
If you mean 57% is something like 48%. Power plant completed in 2006:
http://powermag.com/gas/1200-MW-in-two-years_496.html
"This 1,200-MW power plant in Cartagena, Spain, took only two years to build. Modular parts sped assembly of equipment, and most major systems were assembled and delivered pretested on skids. The plant comprises three identical, single-shaft power blocks rated at 406 MW apiece. The blocks generate power at 57% efficiency"
Now Sandy. Show us proof of the actual steam reformation plant deliver your 75% number used in your number.
Oh yeah and please upgrade the number for 48% to 57% in your study. And buy the way several more plants are coming on line at 59-60%.
Clearly you are just taking over Blencoes job as H2 shill.
You fudge the number all over this so called "study" using the worse case numbers for EV side and the best case numbers for H2.
This is a farce, but then again, you know that, your job is to lobby, since the truth isn't on your side, you have to stretch it.
Honda CEO: People will embrace fuel cells when they realize battery limits {Autoblog Green}
Oct 22nd 2009 6:03PM Ahh the hydrogen zealot games.
Anyone paying attention might remember the first game when they were using wind power as the basis of their hydrogen argument. Hydrogen would would be better for the environment because it would be clean energy from wind turbines, using electrolysis to produce hydrogen. Versus those dirty EVs running on coal fired electricity.
Of course this one was so transparent that even politicians could see through it. ("ummm why wouldn't they both use the same electricity sources"). So game one had to be abandoned.
The new game for proving that Hydrogen is better. Steam Reformation of natural gas. Of course this one is also based on BS.
The issue comes down to Steam Reformation efficiency number that is at the highest end of the range ( The information I found says it will reach that next year), I doubt there is a plant operating at 75% efficiencey. Yet the combined cycle generation number used is much lower than the better gas fired combined cycle plants in use today (10% too low).
If you actually use the real numbers for both. It turns out that natural gas is also more efficiently used in EVs as well. But the numbers are closer this time and they only have to fudge a bit. So expect them to keep using this one for some time to come.
Note there may be other bits of fudging in this "study" I only notice the most glaring one that turns it right away.
Oh and steam reformation of natural gas releases just as much CO2 as burning it.
So another EV win disguised as a Hydrogen win.
Tokyo 2009: Honda CR-Z coming to America next fall with six-speed manual! {Autoblog Green}
Oct 22nd 2009 3:01PM 1.5L engine plus hybrid means it should get pretty good fuel economy.
Tokyo 2009: Honda CR-Z coming to America next fall with six-speed manual! {Autoblog Green}
Oct 22nd 2009 10:43AM ABG. The home of the zealots.
It is funny here. We have complete Diesel, Ethanol, and EV zealots. Though we lost our main (paid) H2 zealot, but I think there a few minor H2 zealots still lurking.
Collectively they probably represent 5% of the population and they are all convinced they are the solution to all our problems.
Watching the reaction to new cars that don't do what they want is funny. You would think someone strangled their puppy. Geez.
Tokyo 2009: Honda CR-Z coming to America next fall with six-speed manual! {Autoblog Green}
Oct 22nd 2009 9:34AM There is no hatchback civic. I don't buy cars with trunks.
I don't want the Fit either with the buzzy little 1.5.
But I would take any of the CR-Z, Fit, or Civic Hatch (euro) if offered here with the 1.8.
The 1.8 gets just as good highway mpg as the 1.5 with a lot less buzzing.
